I would like to do a Holiday Giveaway, but since there are some sites that sell invalid keys themselves, have sellers that sell invalid keys, or might try to reuse some keys, I'm wondering how I could make sure that the key will be working. As much as I like Steam, some older but good games are priced really high, in my opinion, which is why I'd prefer keys instead of gifts.

Would I be allowed to enter something like “Key will be bought when giveaway is over” inside the key list and then edit the freshly bought key into the list when the winner is selected instead?

I just want to give something back to the Steam community, but I also don't want to break any rules by accident. This is why I'd rather ask before I do something completely wrong.

Thanks for any answers in advance! :)

11 months ago

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Yes, you can edit the key after the GA ends, before you send it to the winner.

11 months ago*
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You can even leave the key part empty by selecting it as gift. This is what I usually do when I'm feeling too lazy to look up the key when I'm creating the giveaway.

After the giveaway has finished and a winner has been chosen, you can add a key in place and then send it to the winner.

11 months ago
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That's good to know. Will look for a good game later then.
Thanks for the answers! :)

11 months ago
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welcome to SG! :)

if you want to reply to a specific comment, use the reply button directly under their post... just like how i did.
the user will then get notified when someone replies to their comment otherwise they wont see it.
... just a hint ;)

11 months ago
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Oh, alright. Didn't want to reply under every comment, but if they don't see it otherwise, I'll reply next time instead. ^^

11 months ago
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Welcome to SteamGifts! Don't forget to read the guidelines & faq.

Check out the official holiday event and the ongoing community advent calendars.

Also peruse group recruitment, especially Unlucky7.

11 months ago
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there are also some groups where ppl give away keys that they arent sure are working and would like the winner to delete the giveaway afterwards
so if you have an older key lying around somewhere and youre not sure if its still working i would suggest to join those and give your keys away there if you like to have a clean slate on your profile page

like the Lootboy group ,steam link at the bottom of the OP
or the Delete giveaway if key is not working group

11 months ago
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https://isthereanydeal.com/ Only list legitimate key resellers.

11 months ago
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You can add a key after the giveaway is created but be aware that it is your responsibility to provide a working key. If you buy a key for a winner which is invalid, you will need to provide another key or take a Not Received feedback if the winner is unwilling to agree to delete. Even if you put something in the description, there is no obligation on the winner to agree to delete under site rules. Checking the FAQ and Guidelines linked above will be a good place to start learning about the site and its rules.

11 months ago
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Thanks for the answer. In the case of a non-working key, I would replace it, as I generally don't have that high of a budget, but enough to replace the key if necessary. Steam Sales have often proved me wrong, how much fun even the cheapest games can be. ^^

11 months ago
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Have fun with it! Just be mindful if you’re buying directly from steam that a winner has a week to accept a giveaway, so you will want to make sure the sale lasts long enough so that you’re still able to buy the game for the winner if they aren’t able to accept your friend request right away. Steam gifts can also have region locks, depending on your location and the location of your winner.

11 months ago
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If you are buying keys from legal shops and not from shady market places, you are reducing that chance for duplicate key a lot. I may recommend using site called isthereanydeal to check up in what legal store is your desired game in sale. But it sucks sometimes to get from them list of regions for which your key is.

11 months ago
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While above is absolutely true, buying from them also needs to come with a warning:
Sometimes even the legal shops get it wrong, and you might for example find yourself with a previously redeemed key, or a key with region restrictions that wasn't advertised. Be carfeul when you approach the store to get a new key as many times they have rules against giving keys via sites like Steamgifts (they see it as key-reselling) and might give you troubles. Humble Bundle for example have shut down several users asking for new keys as soon as they found out the keys were given here.

11 months ago*
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While I did buy from some weird sites some time ago, I'm trying to stick to steam sales or IsThereAnyDeal lately, mainly because of the concern that many cheap key-stores like G2A or Kinguin cause significant damage to the developers, as far as I know.
I even remember some Publisher saying, they would rather see their game pirated instead of stolen keys being sold. Which of course doesn't mean pirating is better in any way. Most developers are already overworking way too much and still aren't getting paid well enough for what they do.

To get back to the topic: I already was looking for some shops and found this List, which covers most Licensed STEAM Retailers/Stores although this post was last edited in 2017. But most sites still seem to work.

11 months ago
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